Google Data Breach
July 25, 2008 – 8:48 amMost of us think of identity theft on an individual basis, but it even happens to corporate giants. Google itself suffered a recent data breach, compromising the identities of Google employees, CNET Networks employees, and many of their clients. This information was stored at the offices of Colt Express Outsourcing Services in California. On May 26, thieves broke in and stole computers housing enough information to successfully steal the identities of those involved. The data was not encrypted and would provide easy access for identity thieves. The negative press from the incident crippled Colt Express and caused them to lose Google as a client.
Unfortunately, many major corporations rely on outsourcing companies that do not necessarily guard our information very securely. With the rising rates of data breaches, our identities are becoming less and less secure. Identity theft can often make criminals far more money than petty robbery, and these data centers represent very easy and profitable targets. If you share any personal information online, your information could also be stored in unprotected computers that provide easy access to identity thieves. This incident is just one more of the many reminders that no one is truly safe from identity theft.
